QinetiQ, Boeing to Help Provide Distributed Synthetic Air Land Training for UK

ST. LOUIS.– A QinetiQ-led team that includes Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has received a £26 million (US$37.7 million) contract from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide Distributed Synthetic Air Land Training (DSALT) to Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots and British Army forward air controllers and artillery personnel. The four-year contract covers the provision and operation of the DSALT facility at RAF base Waddington in the United Kingdom.

Under the contract sponsored by the RAF, QinetiQ as the project lead and Boeing will together help provide approximately 44 weeks of access to specialist training at the facility each year. The primary users will be headquarters-level fire-planning cells, frontline fire-support teams and RAF pilots, all experiencing the complexities of controlling aircraft, artillery and other assets in fast-moving situations.

“With recent technological advancements, we are now able to deliver synthetic training that realistically simulates actual engagement situations,“ said Jon Saltmarsh, QinetiQ’s program director for the project. ”A real benefit of this form of training is that ground forces gain understanding of the pilot’s perspective of a mission, and vice versa. Communications between all parties are improved, operations run more smoothly and there’s less chance of error.”

QinetiQ will be responsible for ensuring the facility meets technical specifications and ongoing customer requirements. Initially, this will involve ruggedizing the capability demonstrator, which has already successfully proven the concept to the MOD. Boeing will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the training systems used for planning and for delivery of the post-exercise review. The RAF, supported by Inzpire (acting as consultants to the UK military), will also provide personnel with recent in-theater experience to take on various key roles within the exercises.

“Boeing and QinetiQ continue to develop an appropriate, robust, rugged and reliable training facility that will meet the UK forces’ need for integrated land-air training now and into the future,” said George German, DSALT program manager for Boeing.

The DSALT facility is a key element of the Air Battlespace Training Centre, a partnership between the RAF and industry to improve the training of UK frontline forces. The DSALT facility can also be linked to a variety of simulated or live air, land or maritime assets around the world to further enhance the training. The possibility also exists to develop deployed training facilities elsewhere in the United Kingdom or overseas, thereby increasing the value and availability of this specialized training.

QinetiQ (pronounced “kinetic”) is a leading international defence and security technology company with over 8,000 employees in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Australasia) and more than 5,500 in North America. QinetiQ’s vision is to be the world’s leading provider of defence and security based technology solutions and services. In February 2006, QinetiQ Group plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange and joined the FTSE250 in June 2006.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.